What happened to Barradale Roadhouse?

from memory a fire took it out, it had roo shooters based there with freezer units and a camp for a while but i have not been there for many years now, i seem to think it is a camping spot now ...
Cheers
Joe

Hi Alan

Not there in my time of travels. There is just a Main Roads 24 hour rest area, complete with dump point, now.

Picture can be seen here: Barradale Roadhouse

Gidday

An archive I have access to says in was closed by owner Shell in 1992 due to a downturn in business. Also said the sealing of the final section of Great Northern Highway between Newman and Port Hedland in 1990 had an affect


Cheers

Rocco

Hi Alan.

It's not a mirage; it did exist.

On my very first ever trip north to drop off younger brother at Tom Price, 1971, on return we washed the Holden at the roadhouse.

Two years later, we camped in the Yannarie riverbed with firewood to spare; right under the RH.

Nothing but a fly blown dusty stop now.

:-(

Hi Alan

I used to stop there almost every 2nd weekend to fuel up around 1972 - 1974. At that time there was only a crossing and no bridge and the highway was still unsealed.

Was working out of Carnarvon and had friends owning an almost adjoining station to the north of the Barradale and so was up and down all that time between the two.

I can recall one weekend the roadhouse called the homestead one Sat morning desperate for some staff to get through the weekend as the regulars had walked out for some reason.

My then girlfriend and another went down reluctuantly to help them out (we really had better things to do that weekend). I dont recall they pay that was offered afterwards but my mild mannered girlfriend then realised why the other staff may have walked !..

I was a little astounded to find it missing some years later when we travelled back in that area. I was told a fire and that the owners did see fit to rebuild for whatever reason

Yeah it burnt down. The bitumen used to end there for many years before they continued sealing the road further North. It was right where the Twitchen Road to Onslow turns off which was the original road North before all the deviations were put in to service the new iron ore towns in the late 60's early 70's. That was in the days when the only towns betwen Carnarvon & Port Hedland were Onslow & Roebourne. The first road North was travelled by horse drawn wagons and they used to go from station to station for the security of being near a white settlement at night if possible. There is still a bit of rusty steel framwork that can be seen when driving past and that is all that remains of a sign that was near the roadhouse. Was probably in the wrong place after the bitumen went straight past and with Minilya at one end and Nanutarra at the other and everybody in a hurry it was not far enough between fuel stops to be needed so fewer people stopped there. Bit sad really.

Thanks everyone for your answers. A good picture too, love the old coke machine.

It must have been a short lived RH as I have a map from 1949-50 and it is not on that map.

Cheers
Alan